During its Full Council meeting on Wednesday 28th June, Rochford District Council made an official declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency, following in the footsteps of numerous other local authorities, addressing the urgent environmental challenges facing the world.
This declaration confirms the Council's commitment to achieving net zero carbon status by 2030 for its own estate, and by 2040 for the Rochford District area and pursue efforts to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions even earlier and protect and enhance biodiversity.
It was agreed that the current 'Climate & Sustainability Committee' would change its name to the 'Climate Emergency Committee', in which it will help the Council lobby for further funding and policy changes at a national level, and support delivery of the Councils Sustainability Strategy which is already in place.
Councillor Michael Hoy, Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Resources, Climate Change & Economy, said: "This declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency shows our commitment to one of this Joint Administration's top priorities, not just for us but also for our residents. It allows us to follow our own declared path to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.
"There will be a dedicated Committee and SMART targets to achieve our objectives and we'll be looking at the costs and carbon savings of these new initiatives. There are also opportunities for our own council owned buildings and direct our residents to funding. These are just initial ideas and I expect the Committee to contribute much more than this, and to build on the initial work of the previous administration.
"We also hope it inspires the rest of the District to create their own paths to Climate Neutrality, we pledge them our support and we will signpost business, organisations and residents to relevant help and resources. Together with our community, we can create a more resilient, low-carbon, and nature-rich district for generations to come."